2048 is the number puzzle that ate a few million commutes: merge two matching numbers, get their sum, keep going until you reach 2048. Cube Jim moves it into three dimensions, so instead of sliding tiles on a grid you are rolling numbered cubes into a stack.

The change is not cosmetic. Because cubes roll and settle rather than snapping into a grid, position matters as much as arithmetic, and a badly placed 4 can wedge a run of merges apart in a way flat 2048 never manages.

How to play

• Aim and release to roll a numbered cube up the lane.
• A cube that lands against a matching number merges into their sum.
• Merges chain, so one well-aimed cube can set off a run up the stack.
• The game ends when the stack reaches the bottom line, so keep it short.

The habit that raises your score

Almost everyone plays this reactively, firing each cube at the nearest match. The players with high scores do the opposite: they hold the low numbers along one side and build a single ladder upward, so every merge feeds the next one instead of leaving orphaned cubes scattered across the stack.

When you have no good merge available, the least damaging move is usually the shortest one. Sending a mismatched cube deep into the stack to save half a second costs far more later.

Good to know

• Endless scoring run rather than fixed levels.
• One-thumb controls, playable in portrait with one hand.
• No connection needed at any point.
• A run lasts a couple of minutes, which is the problem.